


Not With Haste

by MadPaint98



Category: Rainbow Six Siege - Fandom, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, M/M, Motherly Blitz, SO MUCH FLUFF, Smol Jäger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 10:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16324508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadPaint98/pseuds/MadPaint98
Summary: Two operators that barely spoke, yet one held strong feelings for the other.But would he accept his feelings, or reject him?He was too afraid to find out until it simply became too much to hold in anymore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hetsez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hetsez/gifts).



> I never thought I would ever post a story, but here we are! I owe this all to the amazing Hetsez who I recently met after being a fan for several months. She gave me the prompt and I did the best I could to do the ship justice. I hope you enjoy it!

            Stomping, heavy, boots echo down the corridor as a small blob of people enter the military housing. Mud follows the group, leaving a trail of prints to the various boot sizes. The people were quiet, almost deathly quiet, having come back from a failed attempt at catching The White Masks red-handed. Two Russians from within the group branch off to head for the mess hall, eager to stuff their faces with food to drown their disappointment and shame. Another, an American, slips away to talk with her female friends and vent off some steam from the crushing defeat.

            That left one member behind: the German unit GSG 9 member Jäger. His uniform and helmet were caked with crusted dirt, his shoes still leaving tracks of fresh mud like the others. Letting out a heavy sigh, he makes his way to his sleeping quarters to change into clean clothes. The German removes his helmet as he enters the room, setting it on his bed. Another man was in the room, Blitz.

             Blitz looks up from his book as he lay on his bed, “Jäger! How did the mission go, mein Freund?”

             Jäger glances up and offers the other man a small smile, “we failed.”

             “I’m sorry to hear that. But everyone made it back safe and sound, yes?” Blitz asks. Jäger gives him a small nod. Blitz nods in return, “very good. Even so, I’m sure you kicked some ass where you could, eh?” He grins, attempting to cheer up his best friend.

             Jäger lets out a small huff as a sort of laugh, “yeah...” He grabs a clean shirt and pants and quickly changes, “I’ll be in the workshop if you need me.” Blitz gives him a nod, letting the other German go to his happy place to relax.

             The workshop was Jäger’s second home, basically. When he wasn’t on a mission, sleeping, or eating, nine times out of ten you could find him working on his Magpie device. He was always improving, always finding ways to fix what he thought was already perfect on the little gadget.

              As he enters the shop, he heads over to his claimed locker, retrieving one of his Magpie’s and carrying it to one of the various work counters. He adjusts the light overhead and goes to work. Across from him and one seat to his right was Twitch, who you could also find practically living in the workshop. Like Jäger, she was obsessed with improving her shock drone as much as she could. “Good” was never good enough for the two of them, especially Jäger.

              After quietly working for a few minutes, Jäger could feel his body start to relax. The stress and disappointment from earlier in the day melts away and all that was left were his thoughts and his Magpie. In fact, he was so zoned out that he failed to notice the new body planted right next to him. The German pulls himself back to reality and glances up without lifting his head to take a look at who decided it was a good idea to take the seat right next to him despite there being two dozen other seats to choose from.

              It was Mute. This came as a huge shock to Jäger since he normally preferred solitude, sitting in some far corner of the shop. The Brit says nothing as he calmly works on his jammer. Jäger decides to brush it off and return to his work.

             “Zinc.” A voice speaks, breaking the silence. Jäger looks up, turning his head to the direction of the voice. It was Mute.

             “Excuse me?” Jäger stutters. Mute stares at him blankly then rolls his eyes.

             He points to Jäger’s Magpie, specifically at two wires jutting out that he had just installed. “Zinc wires are smaller but just as effective as copper ones. You save room in your device without cutting the current rate. Try ‘em instead.” The Brit explains stiffly.

             Jäger stares at Mute, then down at the wires, “oh really? Thank you. However, I prefer copper wires.” He replies gently. Mute grunts in return, looking back to his own device. Jäger didn’t want to seem rude and dismissive if he ignored Mute’s advice, especially since the man was right next to him. The German decides to change one of the wires to zinc and leave the other as copper, that way he would be sticking with his own preference but also not offending Mute. Soon, Jäger fell back into his blissful working mode.

             “No, use the electrical tape for that.” A voice interrupts Jäger’s thoughts yet again. This time, even Twitch looks up from her drone with a slightly irritated look on her face. Jäger slowly lifts his head to see Mute staring at him once again, “you’re using duct tape, but using electrical tape will be much more effective.” Jäger blinks at him. Twitch glances over at the German, raising a perfect eyebrow as if to say ‘is this guy serious?’

              Jäger clears his throat, “oh, thank you, again, but I prefer duct tape for this specific adjustment.”

              Mute furrows his eyebrows, “why?”

              Jäger stares at the British man, taken aback by his bluntness, “because that’s what I have always used and it gets the job done just fine.”

             Mute shakes his head and turns back to work on his device again, without another word. Jäger quickly turns back to his Magpie. Of course Jäger has seen Mute in the workshop before, but never this close to him. Why, especially of all days when Jäger would highly appreciate the silence, did Mute have to sit right by him and appear to boss him over how he should fix his device?

             Even so, Jäger continued to work. Eventually, Twitch quietly gets up from her seat and puts her stuff away, offering the German a small wave as she leaves. Jäger smiles weakly but internally he was screaming for her to come back since now it was just him and Mute alone in the room. As the minutes crawl by, he could feel himself becoming more and more uncomfortable in the Brit’s presence. He hadn’t told him any more instructions, but the possibility of him doing so made Jäger’s skin crawl for some reason. Perhaps it was how Mute tried to help him. He was so blunt and acted as if you had to do it his way or you were just making the device useless. Jäger knew Mute was smart, but after hearing him talk more than just a few words, it made him see that Mute reveled in his intelligence. Jäger contemplates moving to another spot, but then decides that was too obvious and he didn’t want Mute to dislike him at all, he would rather just stay mutual.

             All of a sudden, Mute shifts in his seat and turns to Jäger, “’ere. Try this.” The other man shoves a small plastic box at Jäger. “It contains your wire ends and a few other lil’ tidbits in there. Should save you about fifteen percent of the room in your thing. Which is a lot for how small it is.” He points to the Magpie. Jäger looks down at the box and opens it. The components inside were placed so precise and perfect. He looks to his Magpie and shifts things around, setting the box in its place. Mute was right. It saved a decent amount of room.

             The German looks back to Mute, “you were right. It clears up lots of space. Thank you.” He shifts in his seat, “but, uh, why? Why did you do this for me?” Mute doesn’t answer as he packs up his things and turns away, walking out of the shop. Jäger stares blankly at the door frame Mute walked through, dumbfounded. He then shakes himself back into reality and begins to clean up his own belongings.

              As Jäger puts away his Magpie and heads out the door, a small thought pops into his head: Mute used copper wire.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, a tired and grumpy Mute trudges into the mess hall for breakfast. Today it was oatmeal with cinnamon, an apple, and two percent milk. In other words, Mute’s least favorite meal. Even so, he gruffly snatches a bowl of the gray menace, setting it on his tray next to his drink and fruit. Making his way to the sitting area, a large hand grabs his sleeve, “we’re sitting here today, Mister Grumpy.” A Scottish voice teases. Mute glances down to see a grinning Sledge along with a smiling Smoke and, as usual, a frowning Thatcher.

The young Brit takes a seat next to Sledge, across from Thatcher. He says nothing as he slowly picks up the spoon on his tray and slides it into the oatmeal. “You stayed up too late last night, aye lad?” Thatcher scolds. Mute glances at him then back down at his meal, saying nothing. Thatcher shakes his head and doesn’t press him anymore.

Sledge turns his body to Mute, “Lemme guess: back in the workshop.” Mute shoots a glare at the large man, which only makes the Scot laugh, “I knew it! You need a hobby, Mute.”

“That IS my hobby…” Mute snaps.

“I mean a normal hobby. Like fishing, or even woman-chasing.” Sledge raises an eyebrow, grinning and nudging Mute’s arm. Mute scoffs and rolls his eyes, shaking his head. Sledge shrugs, “or men, if you swing that way. I don’t judge, mate.”

“You’re an idiot.” Mute growls, forcing down another spoonful of oatmeal, quickly followed by a swig of milk.

Smoke lets out a hardy laugh, “oh, speaking of him leaning that way, Sledge, get this: Mute was seen with Jäger in the workshop last night.”

“You’re shitting me, Mute you son of a bitch!” He shoves the smaller British man.

Mute grunts, “not like that, you twat! We were both working on our devices. That was all, now clear those gross thoughts I know you’re thinking, RIGHT now.” Mute points an accusatory finger at the other man.

Sledge flashes a slimy grin, “Hey now, I didn’t saw nary a thing about what I thought you two did in the workshop but you went right to THAT? Shame shame.” Mute’s eyes widen slightly and he turns away quickly, taking a large bite of his apple. He could already feel his cheeks heat up from the blush growing on them. Sledge was technically right. He didn’t ask if him and Jäger were doing dirty acts in the workshop, yet Mute jumped right to that idea to deny it.

Does Mute like Jäger? The answer is yes, yes he does. The truth was, he has been attracted to the German for months now, but has been too afraid to make any moves. He figured he scared the little man and would simply do more harm if he tried to talk to him any more than he does now. When feelings for Jäger first started to creep into his chest all those months ago, he shoved them down and denied them as hard as he could. He had always thought himself as a-romantic, not seeing the point in having a relationship with anyone. His missions and especially his gadgets were all he needed in life. But after being on a mission with the German man, working by his side and listening in on him converse with Blitz on the ride back, he found himself growing attached.

Jäger was a gentle soul, determined and strong when he needed to be but preferring to stay quiet and calm. Him and Blitz got along great, with Blitz’s bright humor it only added to Jäger’s charm as he laughed hardily to his best friend’s stories and jokes. Of course, Mute never tried his own conversation with the German. He much preferred listening to him talk and happily go along with Blitz’s tales.

He wanted to protect him; to be the sturdy rock in his life. But he knew it would never happen. If Mute tried to talk to him, he would only hurt himself in the end. Even the small conversations he had with Jäger last night in the shop took several minutes to build up inside him and look how it ended. The blond German was intimidated by Mute’s attempts to help. He didn’t know why he spoke the way he did, he was honestly, truly, trying to help Jäger improve his device. But it just came out…wrong.

A light smack on the top of his head brought Mute back to the present. He glared at the three other men, “ah, hey! Who the hell—“ Mute stopped talking as he noticed all three of them were staring at someone behind him. Mute slowly turned around in the direction they were looking.

It was Jäger. He looks nervous, “Mute? I called your name a few times but you didn’t answer. I’m sorry, are you busy eating I can come back later.” He points his thumb over his shoulder, taking a small step back.

Mute drops his spoon and turns completely, taking his leg out from under the bench, “No! I mean, no I’m not busy eating. I actually hate oatmeal, so you’re saving me from the pain for a few moments.” He jests, offering a small smile

Jäger lets out a huff, a sort of small chuckle in response, “good, then, I just came to ask if you would mind taking a look at my Magpie later? Your suggestions from last night helped a lot more than I first realized. So, if you have time, I have a few ideas I would like to pitch to you for other modifications.” He stares down at the sitting man.

Mute stares back in return. He’s frozen, unsure of how to answer. Jäger wanted to spend more time with him? Even after how rude he was to him last night? Mute felt a nudge from Sledge, making him realize how long he was taking to answer. Mute nods, “of course. Meet me in the workshop by nineteen hundred on the dot. Sound good?”

Jäger nods, now smiling happily, “yes! See you then.” He turns and quickly scampers off.

Mute stares down at his hands. Sledge grins next to him, “my boy, he just asked you on a date.”


	3. Chapter 3

Jäger could feel his heart beating in his chest as he quickly walks away from the SAS group and back over to the rest of his German comrades. Blitz smiles excitedly as his best friend took his seat, “so you and Mute are friends now?” Jäger shifts awkwardly in his seat and shrugs.

Bandit scoffs and rolls his eyes, “with how he’s acting right now, I would confidently say he wants to be more than friends.” Jäger’s face pales a shade and Blitz glares at Bandit, who only shrugs passively. “I know Jäger barely has a pair of balls in his pants as it is, so talking to new people isn’t his strong suit, but I’m just saying he looked even more afraid than usual.” Bandit explains.

“Hey, don’t talk like I’m not here. I don’t like Mute in that way, okay? He helped with my Magpie device yesterday and I want to hear what else he has in mind for it. He’s very young but he’s brilliant.” Jäger explains to his fellow Germans. Bandit nods slowly, moving back to his tray of food, clearly not convinced.

“I think you two would make a cute couple!” A voice chirps from beside Blitz. It was IQ.

Jäger blushes and turns to her, throwing his hands up slightly, “IQ, did you not hear what I JUST said? I don’t like him that way!” He corrects her.

IQ finishes chewing her food and raises a finger at him, “I didn’t say you did, I just wanted to add my opinion on the subject is all. Blitz, don’t you agree? Mute would be good for him.” Blitz only shrugs passively, preferring to stay out of that conversation instead. IQ huffs, “you all are no fun!” She turns back to her food, now pouting as she shoves her spoon into her oatmeal.

“Blitz, we’re going to the gym after this, right? You promised we would go today.” Bandit wags a finger at the other German.

Blitz bats his hand away as he nods, “yes, yes, we’re still going. But I have a mission this afternoon so I can’t train for too long since I have to pack for it.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know about your mission. Just another boring terrorist hunt. Lame.” Bandit grumbles, playing with his apple core.

Blitz looks over at Jäger, “Bandit is just eager to wrestle with me. We did some yesterday and I beat him every time, so today I’m sure he’s dying to go back to the mat just to lose again.” He nudges Bandit’s arm as he teases him. Bandit scoffs and turns away with a glare. Blitz chuckles and turns his attention back to his friend, “so since I won’t be back until fairly late tonight, I wish you luck on your date.” He winks and stands up, walking away to dump his tray.

Jäger turns red in the face, hanging his head, “I-It’s not a….”

IQ points her spoon at Jäger, “Ha! See?!” Jäger hangs his head in his hands.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That evening, Jäger sits in the workshop, his Magpie out in front of him. He was tapping his leg nervously, staring down at the device intently. After the fiasco at breakfast, all he could think now is that this was a date. He didn’t mean for it to be, he only wanted Mute’s genius mind to help out his device. Did he even think of Mute in that way? Did Mute think of him that way? He always thought Mute found him irritating for some reason, like he was a nuisance.

He didn’t think Mute hated him or anything, but would prefer to avoid interacting with him as much as he could. But yesterday he sat right next to Jäger and offered advice not once but twice. Granted, Mute was gruff about it as he always was when they did talk those seldom times on missions and such, but still, it was strange for him to do.

 The sound of a door opening and closing pulls Jäger from his thoughts. He looks up to see Mute standing there. They stare at each other for a long moment before Mute clears his throat, “your device.” He says flatly. The German blinks a few times then nods, gesturing to the seat beside him. Mute walks over and slowly slides onto the metal stool, staring at the Magpie.

“So, to start, is there any idea you have for my device?” Jäger asks coolly.

Mute puts a hand on his chin as he falls into deep thought. He remains silent for a long moment before finally nodding, “we can cut the weight down in the overall structure by changing the material of the shell. On top of that, we can improve the suction of the legs.” Mute explains, leaning closer to get a better look at the machine. In doing so, his arm presses against Jäger’s. The Brit didn’t seem to notice but Jäger instantly stiffens. He nods, showing his acknowledgement to the other man’s plans but internally he was growing uncomfortable, wanting to move away.

The young Brit mumbles to himself in thought, continuing to stare at the machine. It finally becomes too much for Jäger, shifting his stool slightly to create a small gap between their arms. This catches the attention of Mute who glances over at Jäger and snaps up straight, “sorry.”

“It’s okay, just forget about it.” Jäger mumbles, tucking his hands into his lap. Mute raises an eyebrow then picks up a few tools.

He turns to the German, “Will you be making these adjustments under my guidance, or shall I do it all meself?”

“I can do it, as long as you tell me what to do.” Jäger smiles as he takes the tools from Mute’s hands.

Mute nods, “yes, like I just said. There’s no way I would let you do it all on your own.” He looks up to notice Jäger’s face fall into a disappointed frown. Mute’s eyes widen, “I mean—I just—I want to make sure you do it correctly. So there’s no change of your device breaking or worse during a mission.” He stumbles over his words, desperately trying to correct the asshole comment he made. Jäger only nods silently and turns to the device. Mute mentally kicks himself. Great, genius, you made him upset.

Even so, he begins to instruct Jäger on what new material to use for the shell, making sure to keep his attitude on a short leash and to talk gently to the German man. After working for about half an hour, the new shell was complete and ready to be installed. Jäger smiles proudly at his handwork and looks over to Mute, “I think it turned out perfect. Thank you.” Mute nods and even offers a small smile in return. This makes Jäger smile even more, turning his head away to place the new cover over the guts of the device. Four screws later and it was complete.

“Now for the suction cups. As I said, I can improve the grip to make it extremely hard to remove. However, since YOU will want to take the device off after the mission, granted it wasn’t destroyed, I’ll adjust the clip locks on the side to compensate for the higher pressure.” Mute says, glancing over at Jäger who was listening intently. The German nods after Mute is finished.

This time, Mute did the work, with Jäger watching curiously from beside him. Mute looks cool and collected as he works, but internally he was stressed beyond belief. Having Jäger this close to him made him so nervous and then in turn, the nerves made him feel like Jäger was breathing down his neck even when he wasn’t quite that close. After several minutes that passed like hours, Mute finally leans away, adjusting himself in his seat. This causes Jäger to sit up straight and clear his throat, “I’m sorry, was I breathing down your neck?” He asks with a small laugh.

Mute flashes a sheepish smile then shakes his head, “no it’s—no, don’t mind me.” He tries to continue working but instead pauses and finally sets down the tool in his hand. “I have a confession: I have never helped someone else like this before. This kind of relationship is…strange to me.” He glances at Jäger, waiting to see his reaction.

Jäger blinks innocently, “relationship? As in, helping a friend? I thought you were friends with your unit?”

Mute shakes his head, “Somewhat. The only one I’m completely fine with is Smoke. Thatcher is so much like a dad it’s maddening, and Sledge I only tolerate.” He turns to look at Jäger, “but with you it’s different. I know this is the only time we have willingly spent time together, I would be happy to do more with you. Go to the gym, read, whatever you fancy.”

Jäger tries desperately to hide the blush he knew was growing on his cheeks right now, “YOU want to hang out with ME? I have my own confession then: I always thought you saw me as a nuisance. Like you would rather be with someone else.” The German looks down at his hands in his lap.

Mute blinks then laughs, actually laughs, “No, I don’t think you’re a nuisance.” He sighs and shakes his head, “I’m sorry I seem so stern. Being as young as I am but cursed with this intelligence, I suppose I matured too quickly. So my bitterness makes most uncomfortable, including you.” He stares intently at the other man. Jäger quickly looks away, avoiding eye contact and saying nothing. Mute sighs, turning back to the machine before him, “Anyway, I’m almost done here.”

After about ten minutes, Mute finishes his work and sits back, “done. Excellent work, I’d say.” He offers a grin, looking to Jäger. Jäger smiles back awkwardly. Great, Mute thinks, now I’ve made the air weird between us. The Brit clears his throat and stands, “so if that’s it, I’m going back to my quarters now.” He stands and quickly flees the workshop, not leaving time for Jäger to say anything.

Back in his room, Mute slumps down on his bed letting out a heavy sigh. He leans forward, putting his head in his hands. Stupid. Stupid, stupid! He scolds himself. He had a chance to tell Jäger how he truly felt but instead fell flat on his face and probably made Jäger feel weird. He decides to go to the showers to wash away the layer of shame forming over him. As he exists his room, he notices Jäger talking with Bandit at the end of the hall…right by the showers. The Brit sighs and starts his trek down the hall towards the two Germans. He does his best to avoid eye contact with both of them as he gets closer.

Bandit glances over at Mute then looks back to Jäger. An idea pops into his head and he grins deviously. Jäger was talking about some football game or something that Bandit really didn’t care about when he suddenly put his arms up on either side of Jäger’s head. Jäger tenses, looking at Bandit with extreme confusion. Mute notices Bandit’s move but continues to approach regardless. Not satisfied with Mute’s lack of reaction, Bandit leans up and slowly presses his lips against the other German’s. Jäger stops talking and instinctively puts his hands against Bandit’s chest in a small attempt to push him away.

Mute looks up to see the scene unfold before him. He feels his shoulders drop in shock as he watches the one German kiss the other. Suddenly, something within him cracks. He storms up to the two, grabbing Bandit’s jacket and prying him away from Jäger, “the hell do you think you’re doing?” He growls.

Bandit raises an eyebrow as he smirks, “isn’t it obvious? I wanted a little taste of my teammate here.” He gestures to Jäger, who was currently looking down at the floor, hiding his face from both of them.

Mute turns his attention back to Bandit, “He didn’t ask for that, so why don’t you just piss off!”

Bandit smirks, “what, do you want him for yourself or something? Does someone have a crush on our little Jäger?”

Mute shoves Bandit back in rage. Then, he grabs Jäger’s arm, pulling him over to himself. He wraps an arm around him as he leans down to crash his lips against Jäger’s own. But as soon as he does, he pulls away, turning back to Bandit, “does that answer your question, arsehole?” He shoves past Bandit, continuing on to the showers.  

Now both Bandit and Jäger stand in utter shock. Jäger slumps back against the wall, trying to keep himself upright. Bandit turns to look to the direction of the showers, “damn.” He turns back to Jäger and grins, “looks like you got yourself a boyfriend. No need to thank me.” He points finger guns at the other man before walking away. Jäger slumps down to sit on the floor for a bit.


	4. Chapter 4

In the showers, Mute promptly strips himself, stomping into the cold, tiled, area, still fuming from the event prior. As the water washes over his dark hair and down his shoulders, the reality of his actions hit him like a brick wall to the face. He kissed Jäger. Moreover, he kissed him without permission. Mute sighs heavily into his hands, feeling incredibly ashamed of what he did. Jäger must be mortified right now. He wouldn’t be surprised if the blond German was scrubbing his lips with hot water back in his room.

Mute closes his eyes and opens his mouth, letting it fill with water. He spits it out and turns around to grab his shampoo. He glances up, catching a figure by the door. It was Jäger. Mute stumbles back, frantically looking away from him, “Jäger, why are you—why are you here?” Mute’s showered plenty of times with other men before, but standing before Jäger right now, he felt extremely insecure suddenly. Jäger says nothing as he takes a few small steps closer. Mute watches him cautiously, clenching his jaw.

Jäger stops about two feet away from Mute. He blinks and puts his hands in his pockets, still not saying anything.

“I’m sorry.” Mute finally cracks. “I don’t know what came over me, that was extremely inappropriate and I understand if you just want me to fuck off.” He turns away, not able to face Jäger anymore. He feels a light touch on his shoulder and looks back to see Jäger’s. His sleeve was starting to soak from the shower but he didn’t seem to mind. Mute follows his arm to rest his gaze on the German’s face. He was smiling slightly at Mute.

Suddenly, Jäger swings his other arm, striking Mute in the jaw. The Brit stumbles back, putting his arm out to catch himself on the wall as he falls over. He whips his head up, staring at Jäger in utter shock, “y-you hit me!” He sighs and brings a hand up to his now throbbing face, “…but I completely deserve it. I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you.” Jäger finally answers. He shuffles his feet and shrugs, “But next time, if you want to kiss me, just ask.” He instantly clasps his hand over his mouth, turning bright red. Mute’s jaw drops as a thick silence falls over the two men. Several seconds drag by, the two staring at each other with only the sound of the running shower keeping the room from complete silence.

Jäger didn’t mean to say what he did. He meant it as a general rule; ask before acting but he realized how that rule didn’t really apply to kissing. Jäger stammers out random words, trying to take back the words he said but only digging the hole deeper instead, all the while becoming more red in the face if that was even possible.  Meanwhile, Mute was trying to process what Jäger said. Did the German just imply he liked the Brit? Or was his current blubbering trying to explain that he didn’t think of Mute that way and only meant that he shouldn’t kiss without permission? He was so confused now.

Jäger stops trying to speak and instead shakes his head, “I-I mean, uh, um, see you….” The blond turns and flees the showers. Mute watches him go, still at a loss for words. He turns and twists the faucet head, stopping the water which had now turned cold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jäger enters the German barracks, letting himself fall onto his bed face-down. Blitz was cleaning his shield, looking up as he hears the ‘fwump’ of Jäger dropping onto his bed, “are you okay over there?”

Jäger whines into the fabric, not lifting his head. Blitz stops cleaning and sets the shield aside, leaning his elbows onto his knees, “Jäger, what’s wrong, friend?”

The smaller German slowly raises his head, “I think I might like Mute.”

Blitz raises his eyebrows and smiles. “oh? That’s a good thing, ja? That’s the reason you went on a date, to find out if the feelings were real or not?”

“No, that wasn’t a—oh forget it. You never listen.” Jäger grumbles.

“I’m listening now. Tell me the truth, Jäger. I want you to be happy. So…do you like him?”

Jäger thinks for a moment then slowly sits himself up and stares down at the bed, “yes I do.”

“Great! Then I’m happy for you! Now all you have to do is make sure HE knows that.” Blitz explains.

Jäger turns red and furiously shakes his head, “no, no, not happening. At least not right now.”

“aw, why not?” Blitz frowns, clearly excited about his best friend finding a partner.

“Well, because, uh, um, you see.” Jäger fidgets and tries to find the right words, “so earlier, Bandit and I were talking in the hall after I met Mute in the workshop. It was normal at first, I was telling him about last night’s football game, but then he, uh, kissed me as Mute was walking by.” The German explains to his friend. Blitz’s jaw drops in shock.

Jäger nods and continues, “but then, Mute got extremely angry at Bandit and shoved him away from me. But then he…he uh…he also kissed me.” He hides his face in his hands, sighing as he feels his face heating up again.

“Holy shit. That’s unexpected.” Blitz says, looking to the floor. “I never pictured Mute to react like that. He must really like you then.” He grins, lifting his head, trying to cheer up his mate.

Jäger lifts his head out of his hands and looks over at Blitz, “you think so?” Blitz nods in return. The blond man studies his feet, thinking deeply, “For now, I’m going to keep talking with him more outside of missions and even the shop. I would like to know who Mute really is.”

Blitz nods excitedly and stands, “that’s a great plan, Jäger. I’m very happy for you. Just don’t forget to send me a wedding invitation when the day comes, okay?” He chuckles, patting his friend’s shoulder and leaving the room to give Jäger some space. Before he passes through the doorframe he turns back to Jäger, “oh and about that Bandit kiss. Don’t worry, he does that kind of shit to everybody. He has NO regards for personal boundaries, I swear. So I’ll give him a strict talking-to later.”

Jäger scoffs, “Careful, he probably gets off on being scolded…” Blitz laughs and leaves the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the finale! I hope you enjoyed my little story and I hope to write a few more in the future. Got any ship suggestions? Lemme know in the comments! :D

A lazy sun rises over the horizon, bring the dawn of a new day. Two days had passed since Jäger talked with Mute in the showers. The most contact the two had had since was a glance and a smile as they passed each other, an occasional “hi” in the mess hall, and that was about it.

A fairly large group had just returned from a night mission and declared that they would celebrate that afternoon with food and plenty of drinks. The rest of Rainbow happily agreed, now excited for the sun to begin setting yet again. The German unit was sitting in the mess hall when Blitz nudges Jäger’s arm, “you should ask Mute if he would like to spend time with you at the party tonight. It’s the perfect time to get to know him more.” Jäger turns red in the face and frantically shakes his head in disagreement. Blitz sighs, “Jäger, you two have not spoken since you and I talked about it two days ago.”

“That’s not true! We say hello to each other as we pass, that counts as talking.” Jäger retorts.

“No it doesn’t.” Bandit adds in blatantly. IQ nods in agreement beside him.

Blitz leans his elbows onto the table, “I’m not saying you have to get in bed with him, just learn more about his personal life. What was his home town like, does he have a favorite food, what’s his favorite color? Things like that. You can do that, right?” Blitz asks gently.

“Of course he can’t. Jägerchen here is afraid of his own shadow. Talking to his crush will most likely give him a heart attack.”

Blitz glares at Bandit and turns back to Jäger, “I won’t force you if you don’t want to do this, but if you do I will gladly help out. I can pull Mute over for you tonight!” He suggests excitedly.

Jäger sighs and taps his foot. After a moment of silence, he looks up at his friend, “fine. I will hang out with Mute tonight.”

Blitz grins, “excellent! Leave the rest to me.” He pats the blond man’s shoulder.

Bandit rolls his eyes, “he won’t last ten minutes without peeing himself.”

“shut up will you?” IQ smacks Bandit’s arm. Bandit shrugs passively.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The afternoon finally rolls around and Jäger was nervously sitting on his bed. Blitz was changing into the correct attire for the event. Blitz smiles at Jäger as he fixes his shirt and sits down next to the other German, “you have no reason to be so nervous, you know.”

“How do you know that?” He glares suspiciously at his friend.

Blitz shrugs, “I just have a good feeling about this is all.”

“uh-huh, alright…” Jäger responds.

“Here, I will help you pick out an outfit tonight. I’ll make you look irresistible.” Blitz grins while Jäger groans in protest. Blitz raises his finger, “ah, ah, no saying no to this. Come on.” He pulls his friend off the bed to pick an outfit.

After some griping and several outfits later, Blitz settles on a black polo shirt with small specks of white and gray flicked all over the shirt in a seemingly random fashion. Simple, yet nice, pair of blue jeans and brown dress shoes to complete the look. Blitz nods, satisfied with his work, “now you are ready.”

Jäger looks at himself in the mirror, staring at his blond hair then down at the shirt, then back up to stare into his own light-blue eyes, “I don’t know, Blitz. Perhaps I should just stay here and sleep. You go enjoy yourself.” He turns away from the mirror and sits down on his bed.

Blitz immediately grabs his arm and hoists him back off the bed, “oh no, no, no! I slaved over putting together that outfit, so you are going to wear it and wear it proudly. Understand?”

Jäger blinks in surprise, “I-I understand.”

Blitz nods, “good. Now come on! Schnell!” He practically shoves his taller friend out the door.

The celebration was being held in the large lounging area in the base. There were several couches set in a crude circle in the center, tables set up again the far wall with several drinks and food. The Russians and Germans provided the alcohol, plus a few thrown in by Sledge, while all the other units pitched in the food. There were small sandwiches and pizza along with several kinds of chips. Sadly, there was no desserts, however. Blitz and Mira were particularly upset about that.

Blitz and Jäger were among the last to arrive to the party with the rest of the Germans already present and participating. Bandit looked like he was already on his third beer and IQ was chatting with all her lady friends on one of the sofas. The other Rainbow members greet the two as they walk in. Jäger offers a sheepish smile in return and glances around the room for Mute. He was leaning against the wall with Smoke and Lion, his head turned away from Jäger’s direction, listening to whatever Lion was currently saying.

Blitz nudges Jäger, “there he is, go talk with him!”

“what, no! He’s in the middle of a conversation right now, that would be rude!” Jäger says, making up an excuse.

Blitz rolls his eyes, “fine, don’t talk to him for now. But if I see him by himself, I’m going to find you.” He instructs his friend, walking off to go browse the food table.

Jäger watches him go and sighs in relief. He glances back over at Mute, moving to one of the sofas to not make it seem like he was staring. But he was totally staring. Mute was wearing a dark green button-down shirt with a grey waist jacket over it. His brown slacks fit perfectly and Jäger found himself completely spacing out as he stares in awe. He was so used to seeing Mute in some sort of work clothes or his full get-up out in the field that seeing him with such fancy clothing made him realize how handsome he was.

Being so young, his body seemed soft but still toned from working out all the time. His hair was raven black and he was even growing some nice stubble along his jawline. Jäger could see the muscles fairly defined through the sleeves of the shirt, but no so much that the shirt seemed to be strained across them—

“Jäger! What’re you doing sitting all by yourself?” A voice pulls Jäger from his ogling. The blond turns to see a smiling Mira. Jäger shifts in his seat and frowns slightly. Mira was a little too loud and bubbly for Jäger’s taste, especially since it seems she has been having a few too many drinks. She sits down beside him, “you were staring off into space like a sad little puppy.” She pets his hair as she gives him a fake sympathetic frown.

Jäger leans away from her touch, “I wasn’t spacing out…”

She blinks and him, “oh? Then were you…” She slowly turns her head in the direction Jäger was staring. She sees Mute standing in his place and lets out a loud squeal. Jäger flinches and suppresses his urge to get up and run away right then and there. Mira looks back at him, “You were staring at Mute! How adorable! You like him, yes? So cute! Ash! Ash come here!”

Jäger grunts, “n-no, no. I wasn’t. And don’t bring Ash over here for this.” He covers Mira’s mouth as she starts to laugh.

She pulls his hand off her mouth, “if you like him, why don’t you go talk to him? You know, flirt him up?” She wiggles her eyebrows. The German turns red and shakes his head.

“Aww, too shy? That’s okay! I’ll go get him for you!” She chirps, standing and running off in Mute’s direction. She left so fast, Jäger didn’t even have time to react and grab her arm. He stands up and quickly moves away from the sofa. He finds the rest of his GSG9 buddies and ~~hides~~ stands behind Blitz.

Blitz raises his eyebrows, “what was that about?”

“Bandit, have you thought of any pranks you would like to try lately?” Jäger says flatly, not taking his eyes off of Mira across the room.

Bandit takes a swig of his beer and shrugs, “I have a few in mind, yes.”

“Good. I would suggest using them all on Mira…” Jäger states. Blitz lets out a laugh. Moments later, Jäger watches as Mute turns his head in the German’s direction, listening to Mira as she talks. Mira grins and pats his shoulder as she turns and trots off. Mute then starts his way towards Jäger.

Jäger feels his heartrate increase, turning his head away, “dammit. He’s coming over here.”

“And you want to talk to him, so what’s the problem?” Bandit asks, raising an eyebrow. “One of these days Jäger, you’re going to stop being a pussy and start living. Now go talk to him or I’ll kick your ass.” He waves him off in Mute’s direction. Jäger glances over at Mute who was still working his way over to him. Jäger debates quickly in his head. Sadly, he knew Bandit wasn’t kidding. He would most likely beat him black and blue if he coward away, but he also just didn’t have the courage to face Mute. Staring down at his feet, he didn’t move out from behind Blitz and before he knew it, Mute was right in front of him.

“Jäger?” Mute asks gently.

The German snaps his head up, “Y-yes?”

“Would you like to come get some snacks over at the food bar?” The Brit asks, smiling weakly.  Jäger blinks in surprise at such a random request but nods nonetheless. The two walk over to the tables full of food, moving to the far end. Mute says nothing as he grabs a paper bowl, filling it with several kinds of chips.

Jäger watches in curiosity, “you _mix_ your crisps together?”

Mute stops dead as he reaches for a third kind of chip, “I-…yes. It’s strange, I know, but it saves space by not using several bowls.”

Jäger giggles, “it’s not strange, I think it makes perfect sense.”

The other man smiles happily and continues to fill his bowl, “what would you like?”

Jäger stares down at all the options, humming in thought. He settles on some chips along with baby carrots and ranch dressing for dipping. Satisfied with his choices he looks to Mute on where to go next. Mute jerks his head to the side, gesturing for him to follow.

“Ah wait, one moment.” Jäger says, turning back to the table. He reaches over, grabbing a small handful of another flavor of chips, dumping it over his current bowl. He looks up to Mute, smiling. Mute grins back, turning to move over to one of the couches. The two sit down on a loveseat, instantly digging into their food. Jäger hadn’t realized how hungry he was until the food was right in front of him. He munches on his carrots, glancing over at Mute. The Brit was chewing on his chips, staring intently at the floor.

Jäger shifts awkwardly and clears his throat, swallowing his bite of carrot, “you, uh…you look nice. I’m used to seeing you in your field gear or your work clothes around the base. This is a nice change.” He smiles sheepishly, trying to compliment the other man. Mute stares at him, food still in his mouth. He was at a loss of words. Did Jäger just compliment him? Was he trying to call him handsome? It was too much for Mute. He finally swallows his food and nods, looking away.

Jäger blinks, confused by Mute’s reaction. Did he offend him? Why didn’t he respond? Perhaps his doubt was right after all and Mute didn’t think of him in that way or perhaps he simply didn’t swing that way. As Jäger felt his self-doubt start to crawl back into him, Mute turns to him abruptly and sets his paper bowl down on the couch, “Jäger, dammit, I like you. I like you a lot, alright? I have for months now but have never been able to say it. I know I come off as abrasive and rude, but I don’t mean it; at least not to you. I simply didn’t know how to confess my feelings.” He announces, staring intently at the blond. Jäger’s eyes widen, caught completely off guard by Mute’s aggressive confession. A few heads had turned in their direction but no one said anything and didn’t seem to be pay too close attention to what as unfolding.

A long, awkward, silence then falls over the two of them. They sit staring at each other in the eyes, dark brown eyes clashing with light-blue ones, saying nothing. What was Jäger meant to do? He stares at the younger man helplessly as he rests his hands in his lap, “Mute I…I don’t know what to say—“ the German is interrupted as a pair of warm lips fall onto his. Jäger instantly tenses up and lifts his arms up to brace himself from falling back onto the sofa. It takes a moment for Jäger to process the situation. Mute had his lips on his own. He was scooting closer to Jäger. Mute was kissing Jäger. The blond makes a small sound in the back of his throat, a sort of whine in protest.

Mute pulls away and furrows his brows at Jäger, “I forgot to ask, didn’t I?” Jäger turns bright red in the face and nods frantically. Mute chuckles, “shall I stop?” Jäger grabs Mute’s arm and shakes his head in protest, still unable to speak. Mute smirks and leans close to the other man, “good. Now let me kiss you again.” Jäger nods weakly, speechless as he leans close, allowing Mute to connect their lips again. At this point, a majority of the other Rainbow members have noticed the situation on the sofa. Some of them grinned, a few cheered (of course Mira was one of them), others chuckled and turned back to their drinks and food. Mute glances to the side, slowly leaning away from Jäger and slipping his arm around him, “I suppose that means we’re dating now?” he asks timidly.

Jäger smiles at him, “I would like that, yes.”

Mute sighs in relief and snuggles closer to Jäger, “good. Good…” He buries his face in Jäger’s neck. “You have no idea how long I have dreamed of this.”

Jäger chuckles, “that was very cheesy-sounding.”

“Yeah, yeah…”


End file.
